Thread-clearing device.



E. WOOLLEY.

THREAD CLEARING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7, 1910.

1,040,087. Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

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Q Fun filaments or threads, or cotton or woolen a part of the winder and consist-'of an at- EDWARD WOOLLEY, 0F WOONSOGKET, RHODE ISLAND.

THREAD-CLEARING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0ct.1,1912.

Application filed December '7, 1910. Serial No. 596,040.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, EDWARD WooLLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of VVoonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhodel sland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread-Clearing Devices, of which the following is'a specification.

The invention relates to devices designed for the purpose of clearing or cleaning silk threads and yarns by removing therefrom slubs, knots, and unusually thick portions before the same are woven.

The improvements as applied by me, form tachment or fixed part located between the reels or swifts and the bobbins in the said machine, so that the thread when wound upon the bobbin'will be free from such imperfections and may be 'WOVEII into fabric of the finest quality without further treatment or inspection.

The principal objects of the improvement are to provide a clearing device of simple and convenient construction, and reliable and efiicient operation, which may be used.

without alteration and with merely a simple adjustment for the clearing of threads and yarns of any size, from the finest silk filament to the coarsest yarns, and will act with equal efficiency and reliability in all cases.

The improvements consist in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a thread cleaning device embodying the improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of the reverse side. Fig, 3 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection on the line 4- 4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a air of the plates with beveled edges hich fhrm the tapering slots.

in describing the invention, it will be referred to in connection with its use for cleaning or clearing textile yarns as this was the first use to which the device was put, and, inasmuch as the principal imperfections found are what are known as slubs, this term will be used generically to indicate all imperfections. I

In the weaving or knitting of fabrics it is,

of course, desirable to have the thread employed of uniform thickness and free from all imperfections, especially slubs or bunches of fiber, for the reason that the value of the fabric is greatly deteriorated by the presence of these imperfections. A few slubs in a piece of cloth or knitted fabric will sometimes make it a second and compel the manufacturer to sell it at a loss, or have his business reputation suffer, notonly for the reason that these imperfections. affect the appearance of the cloth but because they sometimes cause threads to pull out, thus leaving flaws .in the material, while it is being worked or worn. It will be appreciated, therefore, that any device which will effectively and reliably prevent these imperfections is of great value and importance to the textile industry.

The plate A is adapted to be secured to,

the winder in any desired manner between the reels and the bobbins so that the thread in passing from the hanks to the said bobbins will pass through the slots of the plate.

In Fig. 1 the plate is shown as it is adapted to be arranged in a winder in which the bobbins are above the reels and in this case the travel of the thread is upward. In ma chines in which the bobbins are below the reels-and this is perhaps the more usual modern construction-the plate is inverted so that the thread in traveling downward through it will pass through the plate in the same manner.

Theplate A is provided with a series of open ended slots B running from one edge to a point near the opposite edge, and on both sides of each of these slots are a pair of plates C with horizontally beveled oppo-" site edges so that when they are placed to gether a tapering slot D is formed within the slot B of the plate A. These plates C are secured to the i'nain plate by means of machine screws C, or in any other suitable manner and may be readily attached thereto and detached therefrom when desired.

Attached to the plate A. on thesame side as the plate C and running across the slots therein at right angles thereto-isan: adjusting ba'r E which is f'adapted to be moved back-and forth over the plate'and held at any desired point in the following manner.

The plate-A is provided with-a diagonal slot.

F near each end, the two slots being parallel, and receiving grooved pins'Gr, G, the former being fixed to the bar E near one end and having its groove engaged by the edges of the slot, and the latter being similarly fixed and arranged, but extending on the opposite side'of the plate A and having a screw-threaded aperture in this part at right angles to its longitudinal axis. This threaded aperture is adapted to receive the screw bolt H passin through the stud A on one end of the p ate A and provided with a flanged head H and a fixed collar H which prevent it from having anything but rotary movement therein. The adjustment of the bar E is therefore accomplished by simply rotating the screw-bolt H and thus causing the pin F to move back and forth in the slot carryin with it the said bar.

It wi 1 be' apparent thatif the slots were not provideo with means for preventing the threads from working inward the said threads would inevitably become wedged therein and break, and it is for the purpose of causing the thread to pass through the slot at the point Where the width of the slot corresponds with the diameter of the thread that the adjustable bar E is provided. The

thread is therefore caused to pass through suitable uides above and below the bar so that it Wlll have a tendency to work toward the inner end of the slot, and the interposition of the bar E checks this tendency and at the same time by exerting a slight pressure on the thread causes it to remain in that portion of the slot which is crossed by the outer edge of the bar. In this manner the posit-ion of the thread relative to. the slot may be accurately adjusted and the thread caused to pass through the portion of the slot which barely allows it clearance and which will not permit any slulos on the thread to pass.

In operation the bar E is adjusted so that its outer edge. crosses the slots at a point where the width of the said slots corresponds with the diameter of the threads to be wound, and the threads then in passing through the slots press slightly against the bar so that they are constantly in the narrowest portion of the slots to which they have access. When therefore, a slub attempts to pass it will be caught by the edges of the plates and the travel of the threads through the slots thus checked. This will attract the attention of the operator who will remove the slub, piece the thread, if necessary, and start that portion of the machine in operation again.

It will be seen that by the use of this device threads or yarns of various widths may be cleaned or cleared, and that the slub catching slots may all be adjusted by one simple movement of the guiding bar. It

will also be apparent that the winding operation may roceed without interruption as to all the t reads except the one being cleared, when a slub is caught, and that the removal of imperfections from the thread or yarn is accomplished by means of this device in a most expeditious manner and without danger and causing knots or tangles.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described the combination of aplate provided with a plurality of tapering slots and a bar extending across. said slots and adjustable longitudinally with respect thereto, said adjustment of the bar comprising a connection between the plate and the bar, and a set-screw for holding the said bar in various positions.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a plate, a series of openings therein extending from one edge of the plate into its interior, a pair of plates sccured to the first named plate adjacent to each opening and partly closing the same, said plates having beveled edges converging inwardly to form a tapering slot.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a plate, a series of openings therein extending from one edge of the plate into its interior, a pair of p1ates secured to the first named plate adjacent to each opening and partly closing the same, said plat-es having beveled edges converging inwardly to form a tapering slot, and a bar movable with respect to and extending across the said slots.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a plate adapted to be suitably mounted, provided with a series of openings therein extending inwardly from one edge thereof andsubstantially parallel with each other, a plurality of plates at the edge of each opening, said plates having beveled edges forming a tapering slot within the opening of the plate, and a bar extending across said slots, a screw-bolt mounted in the first named plate, a pin secured to the bar and receiving said screw bolt, a diagonal slot in the said plate through which said pin extends, the construction and arrangement being such that the rotation of the screwbolt causes the pin to travel along said diagonal slot and impart movement to the bar longitudinally of the said tapering slots.

Witness my hand this 18th day of November, 1910, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York.

EDWARD WOOLLEY. Witnesses:

E. W. SoHEnR, (In, S. J. Cox. 

